I am a uni student who is preparing to switch from Windows to Linux. I did plenty of research and decided the flavor I specifically wanted was Arch. Then I found Antergos, which appeared to have a cleaner UI than Arch.

That being said, I don’t quite understand what the underlying differences are between Antergos and Arch, and my searches on the internet have not yielded much. Only that you started as a cinnamon flavor of Arch, beyond that I don’t know what the differences are.

So I’m really asking for some simple, clear answers, to help me decide what the advantages of Antergos are.

How do the development goals of Antergos differ from Arch?

What are the visible, or sometimes invisible, usage differences between Arch and Antergos.

Anything else you think i should know before I make my decision?

Thanks,
Armestam

EDIT: Also I’m looking for a stable version of Linux which will be around for a long time. Does that fact that Antergos gets updates from Arch mean it will have similar long term support?

I am a uni student who is preparing to switch from Windows to Linux. I did plenty of research and decided the flavor I specifically wanted was Arch. Then I found Antergos, which appeared to have a cleaner UI than Arch.

That being said, I don’t quite understand what the underlying differences are between Antergos and Arch, and my searches on the internet have not yielded much. Only that you started as a cinnamon flavor of Arch, beyond that I don’t know what the differences are.

So I’m really asking for some simple, clear answers, to help me decide what the advantages of Antergos are.

How do the development goals of Antergos differ from Arch?

What are the visible, or sometimes invisible, usage differences between Arch and Antergos.

Anything else you think i should know before I make my decision?

Thanks,
Armestam

EDIT: Also I’m looking for a stable version of Linux which will be around for a long time. Does that fact that Antergos gets updates from Arch mean it will have similar long term support?

[Have written a lengthy post but lost due to a network crash, will try to write something similar]

Hi,

I’m not part of Antergos’ development team, but I will try to shed some light on your doubts.

First, you have to understand that a plain Installation of Arch has almost nothing and that you have to configure almos everything manually. For example the partitions of your HDD, your keyboard, the locales, etc. Then you will have to install your graphics card drivers and choose a desktop, install it and all the programs you think you will need.

On the other hand, Antergos comes with a pretty nice installer that make almost all the work for you, you only have to fill in all the needed information and choose a desktop, and it will install and configure everything.

Moreover, with Antergos you will have configured by default its repository, where you can find some pre-packaged programs, so you won’t have to build them from AUR. For example yaourt.

So, to summarize, i’d say that Antergos is Arch with an user-friendly installer, and with some prechosen packages so it can be used right after it is installed.

Regarding your EDIT: you shouldn’t confuse ‘Long Term Support’ with ‘Rolling Release’. In the first, you will (or at least should) receive updates from the packages of the distro during the time the LTS lasts, and then nothing. In the second case, you will have access to the latest stable version of almost every package. This means that you will be able to avoid the ‘major updates’ that some distros have to do from version to version.

Hope I have helped!

"When you stare into the abyss the abyss stares back at you." (Friedrich Nietzsche)

Nox is correct. There is very little difference between Antergos and Arch from a strictly software point of view. With an install of Antergos you will still use Arch’s kernel and packages with very few exceptions. We do not hold any updates back like is done elsewhere in the name of stability. We feel that the security risk is too high. Arch is actually a very stable system by itself, and proves that the term “Rolling Release” is not a bad word

Well, once you look at more than just the actual underlying system and packages you will notice some key differences. Arch is a top notch linux distro driven by a great group of developers. However, it was designed “to fit the needs of the competent Linux user.”. That quote from their wiki really does sum up the purpose of Arch and what you should expect. Arch is a do-it-yourself system. They provide you the tools and documentation but fully expect (and often insist) that you fine the answers to your questions on your own. For more advanced users and developers that is perfectly fine as they know linux well enough to fix problems. But what about the normal user with a little geek inside that enjoys everything tech and is curious about Linux? Should they be turned away and pushed to ubuntu? Myself and the rest of Antergos’ developers believe the answer to that question is Absolutely NOT!. Antergos has a completely different culture. We think its is awesome when someone who has never used linux before decides they want to learn how and we are here to help along the way. You’ll always find someone who is ready, willing, and happy to help you with your linux questions. In turn, you will help others and it all comes back around again. That is what Antergos is about and is the best way I can explain it